Automatic indexing device for use with turret type reloading shell machines



Oct. 16, 1962 Filed April 18, 1961 Fig.1

c; HOYER 3,058,387

M. AUTOMATIC INDEXING DEVICE FOR USE WITH TURRET TYPE RELOADING SHELL MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.2 66 H I MICHA EL G. HOYER INVENTOR.

A TTORNE Y Oct. 16, 1962 M. G. HOYER 3,058,387

AUTOMATIC INDEXING DE VICE FOR USE WITH TURRET TYPE RELOADING SHELL MACHINES Filed April 18, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IIIIH h... [I ,I. ,IN I MICHAEL e. HOYER 69 6/ -6 INVENTOR.

B 7 5/ .Z' MAI/717 ATTORNEY 5'6 3,5 8,387 Patented Oct. 16, 1962 3,058,387 AUTOMATIC INDEXING DEVICE FOR USE Wli'lH TURRET TYPE RELOADING SHELL MACS Michael G. Hoyer, 65 Robertson Ave., White Plains, N.Y. Filed Apr. 18, 1961, Ser. No. 103,913 1 Claim. (Cl. 8627) This invention relates to an automatic indexing device for hand-operated progressive shell reloading machines for hand gun and rifle ammunition.

It is the principal object of the present invention to improve the efllciency of the progressive shell reloading machine for hand gun and rifle ammunition and elimi mate the tedious time consuming repetition of having to advance the shell registering plate by hand as has been done heretofore.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an automatic indexing device for progressive shell reloading machines of the type used by police and sportsmen and operated by hand whereby the shell carrying plate that has been turned heretofore by the fingers to register the shells with the stationary tools and supply containers will be automatically turned with each pull down of the operating handle of the machine.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a hand-operated shell reloading machine which will be completely automatic in operation from the placing of the shell in the shell registering carrying plate to the discharge of the loaded shell from the shell plate through the base of the machine.

It is a futrher object of the invention to provide an automatic indexing device for progressive shell reloading machines that can be added to the machine without any alteration of any of the parts of the machine and by simple attachment thereto and driven by the vertically movable multiple tool operating head.

Other objects of the invention are to provide an automatic indexing machine device for a hand-operated shell reloading machine, having the above objects in mind, which is of simple construction, has a minimum number of parts, inexpensive to manufacture, easy to install on the shell reloading machine, durable, of pleasing appearance, light in weight, consumes little space, can lie within the confines of the base of the machine, eflicient, eifective in use and automatic in operation.

For a better understanding of the invention reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which FIGURE 1 is an elevational view of a shell reloading machine with the automatic indexing device attached thereto, the view looking in front elevation upon the indexing device and the same extended to have advanced the shell,

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the machine and looking in end elevation upon the automatic indexing device, v

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary elevational view of the shell reloading machine and looking in front elevation upon the indexing device, the handle arm of the machine having been pulled down to effect the operations upon the shells and to retract the indexing device parts preparatory to the next advance movement of the shell carrying plate,

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse sectional view of the shell loading machine and of the indexing device projected to advance the shell plate and as viewed generally on line 4-4 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse sectional view of the shell loading machine with the shell engaging part of the indexing device fully retracted and made ready to pick up the next shell, the view being taken generally on line 55 of FIG. 3, and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to FIG.

5 with illustration made as to the manner in which the shell engaging part of the indexing device is guided toward the next shell.

Referring now to the figures, 10 represents a base which is open on its underside and upwardly from which there extends a long post 11 on the upper end of which is fixed an end fitting 12 across which there is journalled a transversely-extending operating shaft 13 having a pull down handle arm 14 connected by a cap 15 thereto. Arms 16 and 17 are extended respectively forwardly from the transverse shaft 13 at the opposite sides of the end fitting 12. Slidable up and down upon the post 11 is a sleeve 18 bearing a multiple tool supporting plate 19 that carries the various working elements of the machine. Depending respectively from the respective arms 16 and 17 of the shaft 13 are respective links 20 and 21 that are connected to the sleeve 18 so that when the hand operating arm 14 is pulled down the sleeve 18 and the tool plate 19 are forced downwardly to perform the supply and work operation-s. The return movement of the sleeve 18 and the turret 19 is effected through a long vertically-extending tension spring 22 extending upwardly from the tool plate 19 and anchored to an upwardly-extending arm bracket 23 that is fixed to the upper end of the post fitting 12. Upon release of the handle arm 14 the tension spring 22 will return the tool plate 19 to its elevated position.

The base 10 is fixed to a table top or plate 25 by fastening screws 26, this table or plate being opened under the machine to allow the loaded shells to be discharged therethrough and collected for use. Extending upwardly from the base 10 is a base table part 27 that is recessed on its top face to contain and support for rotation about the post 11, a shell registering and carrying plate 28 that has alternate detent receiving openings 29 and shell receiving slots 30. Shells S are fitted into the slots 30' by a shell inserting device 31 having a plunger 32 with a laterally-extending roller 33 that is operated by a depending inclined cam 34 carried by a bracket 35 fixed to the tool plate 19. A shell is dropped into the top of the shell feeding device 31 and each time the operating handle arm 14 is pulled downwardly and upon release of the handle arm 14 a shell S is inserted into a slot 30 in the shell carrying plate 28 by release of the spring-actuated plunger 32. To this station and for successive operations of the machine the shell S is moved in a counterclockwise direction as viewed upon FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 about the post 11. Heretofore, the movement of this shell carrying,- plate S has been effected by hand and fingers.

While there are several operations that are effected upon the shell only one of the operations, that of supplying and fixing percussion cap to the head of the shell S will be described. It should be understood that there are other operations to effect the full loading of the shell. Once the shell has been placed in the shell registering plate 28, in fact, four operations in all before the loaded shell is discharged from the machine. These operations are (1) removal of percussion cap from the shell head, (2) supply and insertion of new percussion cap, (3) supplying the gun powder to the shell and simultaneously enlarging the open end of the shell and finally (4) supplying and clamping the bullet in place in the shell.

To further understanding the machine and these operations, reference may be had to the patent to Clarence R. Peterson 2,031,850, patented Febraury 25, 1936. The second operation of which sufiicient parts are shown to describe it is the operation of supplying the percussion caps to the head of the shell, the old percussion cap having been removed on the previous operation. With the shell S extended to the station shown in FIG. 4 it is adjacent to a percussion cap-supplying device indicated generally at 36. This cap supplying device 36 extends laterally and radially outwardly from the side of the base table 27, and has guideway 37 in which a slide 38 operates. Extending upwardly from the inner end of the bracket is a supply plate 39 having an opening 40 through which the percussion caps are supplied from a long upwardlyextending supply tube 41 connected by a fitting 42 at its lower end to the opening 40 in the plate 39. A weighted feed rod 43 is carried in the upwardly-extending supply tube 41.

The percussion cap is picked up by an opening, not shown in the slide 38, and is moved by the slide 38 so that the opening is in alignment with the shell S for insertion from underneath the shell head by a mechanism carried in the machine base 10 and shown in detail in the above mentioned patent.

As the operating hand lever 14 is pulled down the slide 38 with the percussion cap is moved inwardly to a point underneath the shell S, by the engagement of a depending cam 45 fixed to the side of the tool carrying head 19 by a screw 46, FIG. 1 and its engagement with a bell crank lever 47 attached by a pivot screw 48 to the slide bracket 36 and is biased by a spring, not shown, acting upon the slide 38 to its outwardly-turned position shown in FIG. 4 from against pin stop 50 by the engagement with a pin 49 on the slide 38 with its outer arm upon the action of the cam 45 acting on its inwardlyextending arm, the bell crank lever 47 is pivoted to the position shown in FIG. 5. At this time, the percussion cap will have been located under the shell by the slide 38 by mechanism under the base, the percussion cap is forced upwardly into the head of the shell S, and the shell made ready to receive the gun powder and bullet.

The indexing device of the present invention indicated generally at I is attached to this shell reloading machine and is adapted to engage a shell S lying in a slot 38 within the shell carrying plate 28 to effect the turning of the shell plate 28 step by step from one station to the next. The shell carrying plate 28 is held in its registering position when the plate has been advanced by a ball detent device located in the base 18 to register with the underside of the opening 29 in the shell plate 28. This detent is not shown in the present drawing as it is not a part of the indexing device of the present invention, but will be seen in the above mentioned patent. The present indexing device I is attached to the shell reloading machine without alteration or rearrangement of the parts of the machine.

This indexing devices has a horizontally-extending slideway block 51 that is supported on the table or box top 25 by foot bracket assemblies 52 and 53 and screws 54, and an upstanding pivot lever support member 55 that is secured to a front side of the horizontally-extending slideway 51 by screws 56. A bellcrank lever 57 that pivots on a pin 58 at the upper end of the support member 55 and which has a long depending arm 59 that is connected by a bifurcated link 60 to a swivel post 61 on a slide 62 in the slideway block 51. Laterally swingable on the swivel post 61 is a shell engaging element 63 that upon its return stroke its slotted end 64 engages the shell S and turns the shell carrying plate 28, as best illustrated in FIGS. 4, and 6. Clamped to the tool plate 19 by a clamp screw 65 is an actuator 66 which acts upon a short arm 67 of the bellcrank lever 57 to operate the same in connection with a tension spring 68 as the tool plate 19 is moved up and down.

The slide 62 is held in the slideway block 51, in which it is worked, by a stop plate 69 fixed to the top of the block 51 by a bolt 71. The post -61 extends up from the slide 62 and the shell engaging arm 63 is pivotally connected to this post 61 to swing laterally over the slide 62 and held down against the top face thereof by a nut 72 threaded down upon the post 61. The upper end of the post 61 is flattened on its sides to receive a bifurcated end of the link '60 and has a pivot pin 73 that connects the link 60* with it. The link 60 lies above the shell engaging arm 63 and retains a torsion spring 74 on the post 61 that reacts to turn the shell engaging element 63 toward an upstanding stop pin 75 on the slideway block 62. When the slide 62 has been retracted by the downward pull of the hand-operating arm 14, the torsion spring 74 urges the arm 63 against pin 75 to aim its slotted shell engaging end 64 against the side of the shell S as illustrated in FIG. 6 to effect the next movement of the shell carrying plate and the shell S to its next station. Once the slide 62 has moved toward the shell S and engaged the same and moved the shell and its plate, control of the shell engaging arm 64 is taken up by the shell S and the arm is released from the stop pin 75. The depth of the end slot 64 in the shell engaging arm 63 is such that the shell S can keep control of the arm 63 against the action of the torsion spring 74. Thus, the shell engaging arm 63 can swivel in a horizontal plane and its movement is controlled by the stop pin 75 and the shell S.

The forward end of the link 60 is also bifurcated and receives the lower end of the long arm 59 of the bellcrank lever 57 to which it is pivotally connected by a pivot pin 76 to be worked thereby. On the side of the actuator 66 is a shoulder 77 against which the short arm 67 is drawn by the tension spring 68 connected to the short arm and anchored to a pin 78 on the side of the actuator 66. The lower end of the actuator 66 is recessed at 79 to receive the side edge of the tool plate 19 so that the clamp screw 65 may rigidly secure the actuator 66 to the tool plate 19.

As the hand operating arm 14 is pulled down, the bellcrank lever 57 is pulled down by the actuator 66 and tension spring 68 until the slide 62 comes against the stop plate 69 and on continued movement of the tool plate 19 and the actuator 66 will pull or stretch the tension spring 68 so that the work operations are performed upon the shell S, the shell-carrying plate 28 with the shells S having become positioned for the return movement by the previous downward pull of the hand operating lever 14. After the full downward movement of the hand operating arm 14 has been effected and the arm is released and its long tension spring 22 returned it to the elevated position, the bellcrank lever 57 is pivoted upwardly by the engagement of shoulder 77 of the actuator 66 with the short arm 67 so that the slide 62 and the shell engaging arm 63 moves in the direction as illustrated in FIG. 6 and is guided toward the next shell S by the pin 75 extending upwardly from the slideway block 51 and with the full return of the hand operating arm 14. The shell engaging arm 63 overslides the shell carrying plate 28 to move the shell S from the position shown in FIG. 5 to the position shown in FIG. 4 to receive a percussion cap in the manner above described. A centering pin 81 depends from the tool plate 19 which enters one of the holes 29 to center and hold the shell carrying plate 28 against rotation while the work operations are being performed, FIG. 2.

It should now be apparent that there has been provided an automatic indexing device for hand-operated shell reloading machines by which the shell registering and carrying plate is automatically advanced as the hand operating arm of the machine is pulled down and released. The operation of moving the shell plate has heretofore been performed by the hand and fingers of the operator by touching the shell registering plate or a shell therein.

It will be seen that this indexing device can be attached to the machine without removing any of the parts thereof or alterations being made. It will be seen that this indexing device is definitely in the form of an attachment with which only minimum connections, as by way of clamping the actuator 66 to the tool plate 19 of the machine provides means for driving the indexing device. Then, the slide block 51 is connected to the table or box top 25 on which the base 10 of the machine rests.

While various changes may be made in the detail construction, it shall be understood that such changes shall 5 be within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

In combination with a hand-operated shell reloading machine including a base, a rotatable shell carrying plate carried by said base, a vertically movable tool plate, means for moving said tool plate and shells carried by said shell carrying plate, an indexing device for rotating said shell carrying plate automatically upon movement of said tool plate, said indexing device comprising a slideway block fixed to said base adjacent said shell carrying plate, a pivot post on said slideway block, a slide operable in said block, a shell engaging finger arm pivoted on said post for laterally swinging motion, said arm having a bifurcated end selectively engaging one of said shells, a vertically extending actuator for said slide connected to said tool plate, a vertical support carried by said slideway block, a bellcrank lever pivoted on said vertical support, engageable with said actuator, a connection between said tool plate and said bellcrank lever for moving said actuator upon upward movement of said tool plate, said bellcrank member having depending and short arms, a pivot link pivotally connecting said depending arms to said pivot post, said actuator engaging the short arm of said bellcrank lever, a stop pin extending upwardly from said block and a torsion spring on said pivot post biasing said arm against said stop pin to direct the bifurcated end of said arm into engagement with an adjacent shell upon upward movement of said tool block to move said shell and hence rotate said shell carrying plate to advance said shell.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 605,339 Place June 7, 1898 2,031,850 Peterson Feb. 25, 1936 FOREIGN PATENTS 399,733 France May 1, 1909 

